The Right Foot Rule

If I had to pick a deity to exalt, it would be Sun Goddess.

The sun brings life to the plants and the animals on this planet and to us. 

She brings light.

But even more, she begins everyday, first thing, rising in glorious fashion.

This is inspiration and a wonderful role model.

I love to get off to a good start to the day, to rise like the sun.

The Right Foot Rule

I think of getting off to a great start as The Right Foot Rule.

When I start the day strong, it sets a tone for the full day and I am more likely to follow through.

Concretely, this means a few things to me (but it may mean different things to different people).

1. The first things I do in the morning are little stretches - usually Garland Pose and dead hang.

2. The first thing I think about is usually a mantra. This week it has been “Wise souls are children” from Le Guin’s translation of the Tao Te Ching.

3. The first thing I eat is usually unprocessed and filled with healthy protein - eggs, Greek yogurt or fish.

Sometimes, I fade later in the day or steer off course. It happens to the best of us - but at least I got off to a great start so half the day was sharp and I reinforced my north star.

I can’t recommend this enough - taking some time to think about the things to do to get a great start and then following through.

The Left Foot Rule

I call ending the day strong The Left Foot Rule.

I am better at the Right Foot Rule but I am improving the Left Foot Rule. I’ve been:

1. Turning the phone off by 8 or 8:30.

2. Making the last thing I eat nourishing - often yogurt and berries. Last night it was watermelon and it was delicious.

3. Ending food for the day around 8 or 8:30. 

Here is an image of Hathor, major Egyptian Goddess, sky deity, and mother to Sun God Ra. Hathor wore a headdress of a sun disk and cow horns.